Philip Markoff's murder charge shocks his high school classmates

Syracuse, NY -- Philip Markoff's classmates from Vernon-Verona-Sherrill High School said they were surprised when they heard the honor student was accused of murder in the "Craigslist Killer" case.

"When I moved here from Reno in second grade he was the first person I met," said Dave Lipke, 23, who graduated from VVS with Markoff in 2004. "It was a total shocker."

Lipke, who attends the State University of New York at Oswego with two other VVS graduates, said the were all in disbelief that Markoff is facing murder charges.

Markoff, 23, a medical student at Boston University, has been charged with the murder of a masseuse whom he found on Craigslist. The woman's body was found April 14 in a Boston luxury hotel. Markoff is also charged with robbing and tying up another woman who advertised massages on Craigslist on April 10.

Lipke said Markoff took advance classes in science and math.

"He was smart," Lipke said. "He had a good head on his shoulders."

Lipke didn't keep in contact with Markoff after graduation but said he remembers that Markoff was quiet and hardworking in high school.